Ola recently announced that it is relaunching its bike taxi service in Bengaluru using a fleet of its new Ola S1 electric scooters. This comes after the company had initially launched and then suspended its Ola Bike service back in 2016 due to regulatory issues.
The latest relaunch is made possible by Karnataka’s newly framed guidelines allowing electric two-wheelers to operate as bike taxis. Ola is seizing this opportunity to offer an eco-friendly bike taxi option to Bengaluru residents.
According to a tweet by Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, the company will charge ₹25 for 5km and ₹50 for 10km. The service can be booked via the Ola app as usual.
Ola’s bike taxis will run completely on the Ola S1 electric scooter model manufactured at its Futurefactory facility in Tamil Nadu. The S1 offers a maximum range of 121km on a single charge and top speed of 90kmph.
For now, Ola Electric seems to have an advantage over competitors like Uber and Rapido who still rely on petrol-based bikes for their taxi services. But Ola will have to ensure consistent availability and reliability of its S1 e-scooter fleet to make the service a success.
The restart of bike taxis aligns with Ola’s major push towards sustainable mobility solutions. It can potentially open an important new revenue stream while also driving adoption of electric two-wheelers in India.
Ola plans to eventually expand its electric bike taxi model across the country starting with smaller towns and cities in the next few months. However, the company is likely to face continued legal and regulatory hurdles as it tries to establish this service nationwide.
In summary, Ola’s relaunch of bike taxis in Bengaluru marks an important milestone in its electric vehicle ambitions. While execution remains key, it highlights how regulatory support can enable innovative mobility solutions that are both eco-friendly and affordable.